It is known to provide security gates that a driven by a motor operated control arm that may be articulated or linear in nature. Commonly, a drive mechanism may be severely damaged if the gate is prevented from being moved in the direction that the drive mechanism is trying to move the gate, e.g., if some obstacle, like a vehicle, is blocking the intended movement of the security gate. In addition, even if the gate is not currently in motion and being driven by the gate driving mechanism, the gate may be forced into unintended movement, as, e.g., by a collision with a vehicle, e.g., attempting to breach the security gate and gain unauthorized ingress or egress. Under these circumstances, the security gate drive mechanism may be bent or broken, e.g., by the arm being bent of the drive screw for a linear drive mechanism becoming bent or broken. In addition, the driving motor attached to the gate may be broken. This is particularly a problem with security gate drive mechanisms that swing a security gate from an open position to a closed position and vice-versa. There is, therefore, a need for a method and apparatus for protecting the security gate drive mechanism from such damage.